Komiška pogača – Croatian bread pie with tomatoes and anchovies

In a large bowl, mix the flour, instant yeast, sugar and all the salt. Pour in the weighed lukewarm water and 25 g olive oil. Bring together, then knead for about 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, springy and uniform. Gather in all the ingredients from the bowl; no extra flour or olive oil is needed.

Shape into a ball and leave covered in the bowl for about 60–90 minutes, until roughly doubled in volume. It may need longer in a cool kitchen. Prepare and cool the filling during this rise, following the next step.

Slice the onions into thin half-moons. Heat 30 g olive oil in a wide frying pan and cook the onions over medium-low heat for about 10–12 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes with all their juice and the pepper. Cook without a lid for about another 15–20 minutes, stirring, until the filling thickens and a spoon drawn through it briefly exposes the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a wide dish and cool for about 20–30 minutes, to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, conventional top and bottom heat. Line a baking pan about 40 × 30 cm, with sides at least 3 cm high, with baking paper and brush the paper with 5 g olive oil. Briefly knead the risen dough and divide it into a larger piece, about three fifths of the whole, and a smaller piece. Roll the larger piece between two spare sheets of baking paper to about 4 mm thick, slightly larger than the base of the pan. Remove the top sheet, turn the dough onto the prepared tin and carefully peel away the other sheet. Leave the edges of the dough slightly raised. Roll the smaller piece in the same way to about 3 mm thick; if the dough shrinks back, let it rest briefly.

Drain the fillets of their packing oil, then weigh out the stated amount. Leave the packing oil out of the recipe. Break the fillets into smaller pieces. Spread all the cooled onion and tomato filling over the bottom sheet of dough, leaving a border of about 2 cm. Distribute all the anchovy pieces evenly so that each serving contains some.

Peel one spare sheet of paper from the smaller sheet of dough, turn the dough onto the filling and remove the other sheet. Fold the overhanging edge of the bottom dough over the top and pinch firmly with your fingers, then press with a fork. Prick the top in several places with a fork to let steam escape and brush with 5 g olive oil. Cover lightly and leave for about 15–20 minutes, until the dough relaxes and rises a little.

Bake on the middle shelf for about 35–40 minutes. The top should be evenly golden and the base well baked and firm when carefully lifted with a spatula. If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and finish baking.

After taking the pie out, brush the top with the final 5 g olive oil. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and leave for about 15 minutes so the dough can rest and the filling can settle a little. Cut into six servings and serve warm, keeping all the filling and juices inside the pie.